Dinner party dilemma (not OT)

Well, we're having a couple over for dinner tomorrow night. I'd like it to
be very nice since we're just getting to know them and they had us over for
an extremely lovely dinner a month ago or so.

Of course the dilemma is the dining room table. We'll have appetizers in
the kitchen and then it will be time to move into the dining room. We can't
possibly do up the dining room table in advance though because of ... OTIS!
He is a crazy tablecloth puller and explorer.

It's okay though - we regaled them with Otis stories last time. Fred is
convinced they're only coming over to see the cat ;-)

Susan M
Otis and Chester

"Susan M" wrote in message
...
Well, we're having a couple over for dinner tomorrow night. I'd like it
to be very nice since we're just getting to know them and they had us over
for an extremely lovely dinner a month ago or so.

Of course the dilemma is the dining room table. We'll have appetizers in
the kitchen and then it will be time to move into the dining room. We
can't possibly do up the dining room table in advance though because of
... OTIS! He is a crazy tablecloth puller and explorer.

It's okay though - we regaled them with Otis stories last time. Fred is
convinced they're only coming over to see the cat ;-)

Susan M
Otis and Chester


Why don't you place Otis (*temporarily*) in a bedroom -- just until you move
to the dining room and don't have to worry about "feline exploration"?

MaryL

MaryL wrote:
Why don't you place Otis (*temporarily*) in a bedroom -- just until you move
to the dining room and don't have to worry about "feline exploration"?

Well, besides the loud yowling scaring the guests, there's a chance Otis
might come out of the bedroom, jump in the dinner table and pee on
someone's plate.

--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam he
Email me he

On Fri, 7 Apr 2006 00:21:47 -0600, "Susan M"
wrote:

Well, we're having a couple over for dinner tomorrow night. I'd like it to
be very nice since we're just getting to know them and they had us over for
an extremely lovely dinner a month ago or so.

Of course the dilemma is the dining room table. We'll have appetizers in
the kitchen and then it will be time to move into the dining room. We can't
possibly do up the dining room table in advance though because of ... OTIS!
He is a crazy tablecloth puller and explorer.

It's okay though - we regaled them with Otis stories last time. Fred is
convinced they're only coming over to see the cat ;-)

Could you set up the plates and dinnerwear on a side table in an
attractive arrangement before the guests arrive? Then you'd just have
to transfer them to the table and it would only take a few minutes...

Half the time when we had guests my mother wouldn't set the table till
they got to our house anyway - it's not like it's a huge task if you
know where everything is

"Susan M" wrote in message
...
Well, we're having a couple over for dinner tomorrow night. I'd like it
to be very nice since we're just getting to know them and they had us
over Of course the dilemma is the dining room table. We'll have
appetizers in the kitchen and then it will be time to move into the
dining room. We can't possibly do up the dining room table in advance
though because of ... OTIS! He is a crazy tablecloth puller and explorer.
It's okay though - we regaled them with Otis stories last time. Fred is
convinced they're only coming over to see the cat ;-)
Susan M
Otis and Chester
Why don't you place Otis (*temporarily*) in a bedroom -- just until you
move to the dining room and don't have to worry about "feline
exploration"?
MaryL

I'm totally w/Fred! If you lived anywhere near me, *I'd* come over
"to see Otis" (not to mention sweet Chester) and you wouldn't even
have to feed me! Otis "has a rep", thanks to rpca and Susan.....

dnr wrote:
I'm totally w/Fred! If you lived anywhere near me, *I'd* come over
"to see Otis" (not to mention sweet Chester) and you wouldn't even
have to feed me! Otis "has a rep", thanks to rpca and Susan.....

Hey, I don't live anywhere near Otis but I fully plan to visit him some
day.

--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam he
Email me he

"Victor Martinez" wrote in message
...
MaryL wrote:
Why don't you place Otis (*temporarily*) in a bedroom -- just until you
move to the dining room and don't have to worry about "feline
exploration"?

Well, besides the loud yowling scaring the guests, there's a chance Otis
might come out of the bedroom, jump in the dinner table and pee on
someone's plate.

ROTFLMAO !!! You know him so well

Susan M
Otis and Chester

"dnr" wrote in message
. ..

I'm totally w/Fred! If you lived anywhere near me, *I'd* come over
"to see Otis" (not to mention sweet Chester) and you wouldn't even
have to feed me! Otis "has a rep", thanks to rpca and Susan.....

Thank you - he would, of course, pull a b*st*rd cat trick and appear
completely normal like he did when Britta and Dennis visited! You're all
welcome to come and pay homage at any time ;-)

Susan M
Otis and Chester

"Victor Martinez" wrote in message
...

Hey, I don't live anywhere near Otis but I fully plan to visit him some
day.

Any time Victor! After we renovate, we'll have nice spare room quarters
too!

Susan M
Otis and Chester

"Karen AKA Kajikit" wrote in message

Could you set up the plates and dinnerwear on a side table in an
attractive arrangement before the guests arrive? Then you'd just have
to transfer them to the table and it would only take a few minutes...

Half the time when we had guests my mother wouldn't set the table till
they got to our house anyway - it's not like it's a huge task if you
know where everything is

Thank you!!!!! That's *exactly* what we'll do. I hadn't thought of that.
It will hardly take a minute if I stack everything on the side table, whip
on the table cloth and then serve. Thanks!

While these people are unbelievably empathetic and interesting and wonderful
conversationalists, I admit that I'm a little intimidated by the company
that *they* keep. He's president of a big oil company and she's a
physician. I expect that they're entertained very well on a regular basis.
The prospect of the messy dining room table just pushed me over the edge!

.... and then I went a planned a totally vegetarian meal again. I hope that
it is okay. I have made appetizers of smoky black bean dip with pumpkin
seeds, guacamole, ****take tofu pot stickers with ginger sesame dressing,
roasted yam and garlic soup with lime and ancho chiles, black bean goat
cheese quesadilla with homemade salsa, and a side salad with basil
vinaigrette. Not your standard fare and I hope they like lime, cilantro,
spice and sesame, since there's an awful lot of it.

I'm kind of nervous.

Susan M
Otis and Chester